Review Fix Exclusive: Helen O’Hanlon ’Talks ‘Mirette’ And More

Review Fix chats with “Mirette” director Helen O’Hanlon, who discusses the film and its appearance at this year’s Nashville International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival.

About Mirette:

Writer and Director Helen O’Hanlon’s debut film How to be a Villain won a number of awards, including Best Director at the Oscar-qualifying Bermuda International Film Festival and The Forry Ackerman Award for Imagination in Film at the inaugural Silver Scream Film Festival. She has a number of exciting titles in development, including a New York Times Bestseller. In the meantime she is originating a new travel show format with UK comedy legend, Vic Reeves and is developing the feature version of Mirette.

Review Fix: What was it like to be a part of all of these festivals?

Helen O’Hanlon: It’s absolutely thrilling! Making films is hard work and attending festivals is certainly a rich reward. It is fascinating to watch your film in different countries, with different audiences. Of course each and every audience is unique with different reactions, laugh triggers and responses. I always have butterflies during the opening frames.

Review Fix: What have you learned from it?

O’Hanlon: Festivals are a wonderful opportunity to engage with your audience and get feedback that is pure gold. Certainly the big festivals are a slipstream and kinda of take your breath away with red carpets and electric atmospheres. That is addictive. It can really get that fire burning in you – you have to use that momentum to move forward with your projects. They are a huge boost to your career…

Review Fix: How did Mirette on the High Wire affect you?

O’Hanlon: This film was wildly ambitious to make, but there’s no point telling a story about a brave, determined young girl without letting some of that rub off on you. Mirette is a hero who inspired us all.

Review Fix: How did this film affect you as a creator?

O’Hanlon: It is a privilege to use your imagination so much in what you do….I want to continue in this realm of magical realism, making movies for multi-generational audience that charm and delight us all.

Review Fix: How do you want people to be affected by this film?

O’Hanlon: To be entertained….I hope people will disappear into our world and feel uplifted when the credits roll. After all its a story of a seemingly invisible girl who lifts us all up to the stars.

Review Fix: How would you like it to be remembered?

O’Hanlon: With the greatest affection.

Review Fix: What inspired this film?

O’Hanlon: The book! Mirette on the High Wire is a profoundly cinematic book, an original story, a unique, joyful ride…to me it was begging to be brought to screen!

Review Fix: What’s next?

O’Hanlon: Mirette: The Feature.

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Patrick Hickey Jr. is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Master Jedi and Grand Pooh-bah of ReviewFix.com and is the author of the book, "The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers," from leading academic and non-fiction publisher McFarland and Company. He is currently the Assistant Director of the Journalism Program at Kingsborough Community College and is a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and a National Video Games Writer at the late Examiner.com. He has also had articles and photos published in The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Complex and The Syracuse Post-Standard. Love him. Read him.